Silver Linings Playbook

 Okay. I know. Not a nemesis film either. I suppose this is why I've gone so long without seeing these films. Every time I make a point to see Scarface or Gone with the Wind or Raging Bull, I get distracted and watch something else. But give me a break! It's awards season, and I may be breaking my nemesis film promise, but there's another promise I make every year and I break it every year. That is the promise I make to myself (and to my other movie buff friends) that I will see every single Best Picture nominee prior to the actual award ceremony. For the 2010 ceremonies, I made it to about 6 out of 10. I happened to choose every single one that won barely anything: Winter's Bone, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, Inception, Toy Story 3, and True Grit. And that was a good year. Last year, 2011, I made it to an astounding ONE (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.) It's pathetic and I'm sick of breaking this promise to myself.

Luckily, this year, I've got exactly 20 days from writing this to see 5 movies: Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, and Zero Dark Thirty. It's not too tall of an order, considering all five of the movies sound tremendous. Yesterday, the count was six, but a nominee has fallen to my viewing. And that film is Silver Linings Playbook directed by David O. Russell and starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. 2011's Sexiest Man Alive (a title I detest for not being given to Ryan Gosling) and the Hunger Games dynamo are supported by screen legend Robert DeNiro and Australian film actress Jacki Weaver. Notable small roles are filled by the always funny Chris Tucker and go-to cranky woman Julia Stiles. It's a cast to be reckoned with and the Academy agrees, having nominated Cooper, Lawrence, DeNiro, and Weaver in all four of the acting categories which hasn't happened since Reds in 1981.

So what story deems such tremendous talent necessary? Pat Solitano, Jr. (Cooper) is released to his mother (Weaver) from a mental hospital, eight months since he went berserk and bludgeoned his wife's co-worker after catching them in the shower together. Pat is determined, positive attitude of finding silver linings in hand, to win his wife, Nikki, back. It's almost instantly apparent to the viewer that she doesn't intend on coming back. She's got a restraining order, but Pat remains hopeful. Life is rocky back at the Solitano home where Pat is prone to outbursts (some involving Pat and Nikki's wedding song which acts as a trigger to his rage) and Pat is constantly taking his issues out on his loving mother and similarly angry father, Pat Solitano, Sr. (DeNiro) It seems as if Pat could be heading back to his Baltimore hospital pretty soon if he doesn't shape up, as we see the officer assigned to his case more than we should. Things begin to change (not always for the better) when Pat is introduced to the sister of a friend's wife, Tiffany Maxwell (Lawrence) Tiffany is having troubles of her own as her husband's death has brought on an alarming bout of promiscuity. Pat and Tiffany connect through their shared troubles and begin to fall for each other. It's a love story, but there's a lot more to it than that. It's about hurt, and pain, and mental health and overcoming hardships.

Since this movie managed to nab four acting award nominations in four different categories, we must ask ourselves: does it deserve all four? I must admit, I don't particularly like Bradley Cooper. He feels like the weak link in The Hangover films. Looking at his credits, I see that he was in Yes Man. I don't remember him. He was fine in Wedding Crashers, but he basically plays a big jerk in that and The Hangover films. Jerks are fine as supporting characters and antagonist, but walking into a film where the jerk actor is the protagonist makes me nervous. Make no mistake, Pat Solitano is a bit of a jerk. Yes, he has his mental illness to account for, but that can't excuse all of his behavior. Still though, Cooper plays it in such a way where the viewer can see that Pat's antics are borne out of his insecurities and life experience and delusions. It is the way he plays his delusions so truthfully that causes the audience to fall for him.

We may not all have mental illness, but we've all at least taken day trips to Delusion Land with some, including myself, having held delusions similar to Pat's. We've all felt that sense of "No. It's not over. She's coming back. She still loves me." And for that moment, that is the truth. All of our friends know we're wrong and eventually we come to know it too. We are Pat's friends. We want so badly for him to move on that despite his crassness and outbursts, we root for him. And that's all that's needed to make a good protagonist: our blessings. Cooper shows tremendous (and surprising) dramatic chops in this film. I call this "the Hathaway moment." It's that moment (named for Anne Hathaway on account of her stunning performance as Fantine in Les Miserables this winter) when I begin to take actors seriously whom I didn't necessarily enjoy before. It's the difference between me refusing to see your movie or pre-ordering a midnight premiere ticket to whatever you do. Hathaway and Cooper both have my attention now. Cooper's performance is heartbreaking and we want so badly for him to just shut up and kiss Tiffany pretty much since the moment she's introduced.

Speaking of Tiffany, Jennifer Lawrence isn't an actress I've particularly enjoyed in the past. I've really only seen her in Winter's Bone, a film for which she was nominated for Best Actress for the incredibly difficult feat of walking around the entire movie. John Hawkes is the reigning power of that film and anyone who says that Lawrence was honestly impressive in that film is kidding themselves. So in a way, this film houses two Hathaway moments. Lawrence, here, actively adds to the story here, instead of being a vehicle to move the story along like in Winter's Bone. As Tiffany, she is strong and weak at the same time. She is wonderful and somehow manages to erase the incredible age gap between her and Cooper from our minds. For 22, she is well beyond her years. Like Cooper's character, she is not completely likable either, but we root for her to find something stable and healthy. Moreso, we want her to be there to heal Pat. We know from the moment we see her, that she's the one to do it.

Then we have our support. DeNiro is a legend for a reason. His early movies would suggest that he is only a treasure when he's shooting someone or knocking a guy's lights out. I would've thought this of his pal, Al Pacino, as well. However, in both cases, some of their best movies involve no ass kicking or gun blazing at all. Some actors cannot make that transition from total badass to aged tender soul (Stallone, I'm looking at you), but DeNiro has done it admirably. Parent characters may not add much to a love story, but DeNiro's performance as Pat Sr. tells us everything about Pat Jr. Pat Sr. has always liked Pat's brother (played by Shea Whigham) better, but as the story moves along, it's completely apparent that the two Pats are eerily alike. DeNiro plays a father looking to recover the relationship with his son he never had. I could've watched a whole movie about Pat Sr. trying to connect with Pat. Jr, but perhaps it's the size of that subplot that makes it so wonderful.

Jacki Weaver, who plays Dolores Solitano, herself said that her favorite scene of the movie is when, during the climax, Pat Sr. encourages his son to go after Tiffany. I'm inclined to agree with Weaver. It's a beautiful scene that shows that director David O. Russell makes sure to take care of every piece of the plot. Another related scene is when Pat Sr. approaches his son and confesses how guilty he feels for never having shown his love to Pat as much as his brother. DeNiro's tears flow and it gets me right in the heart. And it might not be relevant, but I'd also like to add that DeNiro has aged much better than his powerhouse counterparts. With some (Jack Nicholson comes to mind) it's hard to see them then and now and believe that it's the same person. DeNiro was a mildly handsome man back then, but with age he has become distinguished and powerful looking. He was the perfect choice for Cooper's father. I was worried that we would see a lackluster performance from a screen legend due to lazy writing, but DeNiro brought it with the force of Travis Bickle or Vito Corleone.

Oh yeah. And then there's Jacki Weaver. If any acting nomination for this movie is a "freebie" it's this one. She was completely unimpressive and just seemed to get in the way of scenes. She served as a punching bag for Pat Jr. to beat on, no more, no less. She was good. Don't get me wrong, but in a category where Anne Hathaway is nominated against her for her performance as Fantine, it's laughable that Weaver is expected to compare. Weaver seems like she's crying in every scene, a tactic warned against by Rabbit Hole playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, who wrote in his author notes for that play that nobody wants to see an entire show of people crying. Had DeNiro and Cooper not saved their tears for the key scenes where they were needed, I probably would've taken a bath with my toaster twenty minutes into the movie. It's harsh and I get the urge to cry all the time. It's a tough situation, but I feel nothing for a mother who wants her son to get better and does nothing to help or understand his illness. Weaver's performance is as profound as Chris Tucker's or Julia Stiles'. In fact, those two did better, with Tucker turning out a surprisingly toned down performance. Usually, I can't stand his obnoxious shenanigans, but here he is obnoxious, but grounded. Stiles turns out a typical mean girlfriend/wife character, but she serves her purpose and doesn't hog every scene as a shrew. Weaver on the other hand should have spent some quality time off screen with a box of tissues. Of course, this isn't to bash Weaver as an actress. I'm sure she's very good and the emotion she hits is authentic and impressive, but for my money, I could've done without some of it. So I understand the nomination, but it just seems inappropriate next to Anne Hathaway's Fantine and Sally Fields' Mary Todd Lincoln.

My biggest complaint of the film involves some of the pacing. I feel like we miss the best parts of scenes. Scenes end early or start late. The whole first half of the film feels rather rushed. I only ever mention the director in these reviews if I feel like the film was drastically affected by having them as a director. Pulp Fiction, for example, could not have done what it did without Tarantino leading it. My review for I Love You Phillip Morris didn't discuss directing because I feel the movie was carried by Carrey and McGregor. Truth be told, I don't even know who directed that film. Then there are films like Les Miserables where the director is a negative. I love Tom Hooper, but the critics nearly universally agree that his direction is what made up the film's negative aspects. In this case, Silver Linings Playbook goes more for the way of Tarantino than Hooper. The film is better because of Russell. He is also the writer of the film, which is a good thing for the most part. I just feel like there are parts that could have been improved near the beginning of the film, for the writing and directing. However, once Tiffany is introduced, Russell plays the film like a Stradivarius. A particularly fantastic scene is the dance competition (choreographed by Mandy Moore) where we not only have an incredibly engaging dance sequence (I love a good dance sequence. See: Review for Pulp Fiction) but we also have a wonderful sense of stakes what with the whole bet surrounding Pat Sr. The scene is exciting and totally edge-of-your-seat. It's capped off with that beautiful monologue by DeNiro and then we head into Pat finally confessing his love for Tiffany (Uhh.. Spoiler alert?)

And something must be said for that. Pat doesn't do that until the last ten minutes of the film which, in my opinion, is perfect. Films and TV shows alike lose their steam when the "Will they? Won't they?" couple get together. Scrubs managed to break up and put together Elliot and JD handfuls of times before they finally stay together in the very final season (Season 9 doesn't count as Scrubs. It's a whole new monster.) Then we have The Office. Jim and Pam got together seasons ago, married, and had two children. It killed the show more than Steve Carell leaving. We were left with no on-going struggle. Sure, we have the episode specific conflicts, but long running issues are what changed The Office from a typical sitcom to a smart, engaging, mockumentary. I can even remember video games making use of this principle. The utterly fantastic game, Final Fantasy VIII has so many moments where Squall and Rinoa nearly kiss (or where he should have...) and they don't until literally seconds before the credits roll. Beyond the gameplay, this is what kept me playing. It's the same with Silver Linings Playbook. Pat and Tiffany's relationship is vital. If they don't get together, Pat may destroy himself and Tiffany might too. The stakes are high and they're kept high until that final cathartic moment when he says "I love you" and if I remember correctly, she responds, "Okay." (Reminds me a bit of Han Solo.)

Chances are, I'm not the first one that you've heard about this movie from. My friends drilled its name into my head and if you're a guy with any type of relationship going on, chances are your girlfriend or wife has begged you to see it with her. Take our advice. See the movie. As I said with I Love You Phillip Morris, a good love story is rare nowadays so take advantage of it when it comes along. It's never sappy and always real (despite the rather stupid event of them getting exactly the score they needed for the dance competition.) It's got its funny moments (Hello Chris Tucker) and anybody who has ever loved and lost, failed to connect with a family member, or felt something powerful, will be drawn to this movie. There are plenty of films this awards season worth seeing (Argo comes to mind) and this one is certainly among the battalion of powerhouses. It's never a chore to sit through (*Achem*, Lincoln.) I guarantee you'll find something you love about this movie.

Rating: 4/5
See it For: Surprising performances from Cooper and Lawrence, a classic DeNiro performance, and a touching love story.
Quote of the Movie: "That girl loves you. She really really loves you. I don't know if Nikki ever did, but she sure as shit doesn't right now. So don't fuck this up." -- Pat Solitano, Sr.